Dozens of Migrants Rescued from Burning Rubber Dinghy

Dozens of migrants were rescued at the weekend after jumping from a rubber dinghy that had burst into flames as they tried to get to Spain across the Mediterranean Sea.

A Portuguese Air Force plane spotted the boat and managed to save all 34 migrants with the help of the sea rescue service from the Spanish city of Almeria.

Video taken from the plane on Sunday and released on Monday by the European border agency, Frontex, shows flames spreading from the dinghy's outboard motor.

Thousands of migrants fleeing conflict and economic hardship in the Middle East and Africa have died in recent years trying to get to Europe by sea in overcrowded, unsafe boats.

European authorities are still struggling to formulate an effective response.

(Writing by Mark Hanrahan in London)